Bark On a Tree
by AlwaysATexasGirl
Summary: While watching Sandy work on her invention, SpongeBob notices the stuff covering Sandy's tree for the first time. When Sandy tells him what it is, SpongeBob is immeadiatly reminded of the day they met. Maybe Sandy meant they could be more than friends when she said they could be "tighter than bark on a tree"?


**A/N: Hi, I'm going to write another chapter for my other story "Sandy's favorite Colors", but this is just a similar one-shot about SpongeBob and Sandy! :) I hope y'all like it!**

**By the way, I don't own SpongeBob Squarepants and all the other charaters from the show... but I think you already know that...**

* * *

It was a warm day in Sandy's treedome. Sometimes SpongeBob wished that the Treedome wasn't adjusted to Texan climate. But Sandy needed his help for an experiment, and he was going to help her.

_Well, at least try to..._

"SpongeBob- I mean _lab partner_" the squirrel said a bit irritated, "will you hand me that thingy over there?"

"What thingy, _lab partner_?" he giggled.

"Never mind, I'll get it myself."

The sponge sighed. "Sandy, how long will this take?" He said, unable to brush the sweat off his forehead due to his helmet.

"Well, SpongeBob, if you don't want to help out you can leave- I just thought..."

"No, Sandy! Of course I want to help you! We're _lab partners!"_

Sandy rolled her eyes, _'he hasn't been much help yet.'_

The two worked a bit more on the invention, but SpongeBob didn't really do anything helpful.

Eventually he wasn't even trying to help her anymore.

"It's getting hot in here..." He said, watching her work on her invention.

Sandy had heard that sentence being used so many times as a pick up line in movies that she became somewhat tempted to turn her head and look at her friend, but instead she busied herself with the machine. That's when she felt SpongeBob coming closer. Her cheeks flushed a bit, so she stuck her head deeper in the machine.

_'Get a hold of yourself, Sandy! SpongeBob ain't like that! He's talking about the temperature!' _

But the closer the sponge came the more red Sandy's cheeks became.

Then she felt his finger tap her back.

The squirrel jumped in surprise and looked at SpongeBob, who was at his knees _begging_ for mercy. "I'm so sorry, Sandy! _Really!_ I didn't mean to scare you! I was just going to ask you why the temperature-"

"Uh...SpongeBob?"

"You aren't mad? I thought- I mean, your face is all red..."

Sandy blushed even more and then covered her cheeks. "Am not! Now y'all can sit under the tree if you want. It ain't as hot there as it is in the sun." She turned back to her work.

"But then I can't help you-"

The female pointed rudely towards the tree.

"But- _Sandy!_"

She didn't say a word.

SpongeBob, who was now being ignored by his friend, sat down under the tree where she had told him to sit.

His eyes wandered around the dome. Sandy was at the picnic table working, a drop of sweat fell from her forehead and she quickly wiped it away.

_'Maybe Sandy doesn't like the heat either'_

She looked a bit frustrated, as if something was distracting her. Whatever it was, SpongeBob had still ticked her off in some way. He wanted to watch Sandy, but that would be creepy. Even though he did it to Squidward almost every day, staring at Sandy was different.

So the sponge turned over to Sandy's tree. It was boring, but at least he wouldn't be creeping Sandy out by watching her every move.

SpongeBob observed the tree and put his hand on the rough surface. He then started to strip a small piece of the strange 'stuff' that covered the tree off.

He held it in his hand and observed it closely, but then, when he realized that he had no idea what it could be, he stood up and walked over towards Sandy. The squirrel wasn't focusing on her work anymore anyway. SpongeBob went up to her and shoved the piece of wood he "found" in front of her.

"What's this Sandy?"

"That's bark, SpongeBob." She said without looking at him.

"What does it do?"

"It protects the tree."

"Is it bad that I pulled it off?"

"Well, it_ is_ important for the tree..."

"Is it _very_ important for the tree?"

"Yes, it is very important for the tree and I'd appreciate it if y'all wouldn't pull anymore off."

"So, would you say that a tree_ needs_ the bark?"

"Yes, SpongeBob! Trees _need _bark because bark protects the tree, without it the wood in the tree could dry out, animals and insects could eat the tree and the bark also protects the tree from stuff that can make the tree sick and from severe heat or cold."

"So, _a tree can't survive without bark_?"

"A tree can't _live _without bark! Why is this so important to you, SpongeBob?"

"Oh, I just remember hearing someone say _'we could be tighter than bark on a tree'_ and I always wondered what _she_ was talking about..." He leaned a bit closer to her, but then started laughing and scooted away.

The 'she' part had caught Sandy's attention and she couldn't hide the surprised look on her face.

"_She_ did?"

"You don't remember?"

"No, I don't, by the way y'all sea critters don't even know what bark is...how am I supposed to believe yer little story anyway?" Sandy snapped.

"You know, Sandy, it wasn't a 'sea-critter' who told me that..." The sponge then said with a huge smile on his face.

"Huh?" Sandy's confusion was obvious.

"_You_ said that Sandy! It was when we first met!"

"_I did_?"

Instead of confirming her question the sponge nudged Sandy with his elbow. "We're gonna have to work a bit more on our _relationship_ to get_ that_ close, Sandy, dontcha think? " he teased and then laughed his trademark laugh.

Sandy wasn't laughing though. _She had to get him back somehow -_

"Well, y'all weren't_ that_ smart back then either..." She said as she could finally remember the scene. "Y'all said you_ loved_ air! Why! You said y'all couldn't get enough of it- and-"

"I _still _love air!"

"_Very funny_, SpongeBob..."

"No, really!"

"Why would you, _out of all people_,_ love_ air?"

"Because without it, I couldn't do this..." He smirked and carefully took his helmet off.

"SpongeBob! Put that helmet back on!" Sandy reached for the helmet that the sponge held behind him, unintentionally leaning towards SpongeBob. "Y'all better-" The squirrel was interrupted as soon as she felt a pair of lips meet hers. '_What is he doing? Was this on purpose?' _Sandy didn't even get the chance to kiss back because the sponge ended the kiss as sudden and as quick as he had started it.

"I guess I should start running now?" SpongeBob said with a diffident expression on his face.

"Sandy?"

She didn't even flinch.

"_Sandy?"_

The squirrel just sat on her picnic table with a love-struck look on her face, in the same possition as she had been when he had kissed her.

"Sandy?"

_Still no response._

"Well... okay, I better go home; it's getting kind of late…" SpongeBob looked at the sky darkening outside of the glass dome. He picked up his helmet and walking past the squirrel he asked _"Was that what you meant by tighter than bark on a tree?"_

She nodded, somewhat still in her little trance.

"Okay." SpongeBob smiled a bit more confident and walked home, leaving Sandy to wonder if what had just happened had been a dream or reality.

_( The End )_


End file.
